Optimizing Paper Handling and Logistics

Substrates are the highest single cost for all printing and packaging applications; any reduction in their waste and damage improves both economic and environmental performance.

Paper is a delicate high-value product that is susceptible to damage and degradation, including changes in humidity and absorbing residual odors. It is also heavy and difficult to handle, making it essential to use best practice techniques with appropriate equipment. These factors also contribute to the risk of accidents that may include serious injury or death.

Over 400 million metric tons of paper are produced every year and delivered over a long transport chain with 10-20 handling stages (loading, transport, unloading, storage) before the paper is fed into a printing or converting machine.

Paper damage remains relatively high even in developed regions like North America and Europe. It is often damaged during transit from causes that frequently include poor protective measures and loading procedures, equipment defects, excessive stress during shipment, and handling issues. Poor storage is a significant source of degradation.

Objectives of the Guide

‘Optimized Paper Handling and Logistics’ is a guide for different users — supervisors, managers, and production staff — to provide them with a tool to better understand the supply chain and how to optimize their part in it. Its primary objectives are to:

1. Reduce risks of accidents
2. Improve economic and environmental performance
3. Optimize working practices.

This best practice guide is dedicated to assisting every organization and individual involved in the supply chain to help them identify and minimize risks. In addition to addressing essential health and safety issues, the benefit is a reduction in economic and environmental degradation across the entire papermaking value chain. The guide covers paper and board in rolls and sheets used for publishing and packaging applications for major printing processes — web offset, gravure, digital and sheetfed.

Collaborative working

This unique cross-industry collaborative project brings together expertise from across the entire paper supply chain from the mill, through transport, storage, and handling, to converting and printing. This guide offers a comprehensive view across a value chain that is both complex and global, which no single company, organization, or region can adequately address. Its goal is to provide an efficiency-building best practice tool and global reference for suppliers, transporters, converters and printers.

The project was initiated by industry associations icmPrint, WAN-IFRA, European Rotogravure Association, Idealliance, and the Nordic Offset Printers Association working with more than 30 other organizations and companies. The project team has collated, refined and structured best

practices into a generic industry guide. This collective approach delivers cost effective international synergies to answer needs in both developing countries and mature markets at no cost to users.

Modular structure

The heavily illustrated guide features an easy-to-read text to better understand how best practices are a tool to improve performance and trouble-shooting. The 270-page guide is structured into 11 modules:

1. Paper & Cores - Wrapping & Pallets
2. Inspect, Report, Evaluate & Repair
3. Warehouse and Paper Store
4. Paper Handling Equipment
5. Roll and Pallet Handling
6. Transport — Securing & Lashing
7. Road Transport
8. Rail Transport
9. Transport . . . Containers
10. Transport . . . Maritime Shipping
11. At the Printer . . . Paper onto Press

Performance enhancement

Integrated cross industry best practices improves operating performance by reducing economic and environmental losses from avoidable damage and waste, improves safety and communication while simplifying training and supervision. It also gives a better vision across the entire value chain.

“We intend to continue with this open cross industry platform to extend the guide and keep it up to date. Everyone that registers to download the e-book will be able to receive updates,” adds Ingi Olafsson, director of WAN-IFRAs World Printers Forum.

FREE e-book

The 270-page book has a cover price of $280 but is available as a FREE e-book because the participating organizations believe that cost should not be a barrier to access best practices. Downloading the guide requires only a simple registration on ophal.info. Two e-versions are available, one for low-resolution screen reading, and another with higher resolution print files. A high quality printed version is also available.

“A cross-industry manual reduces costs for an individual company, helps avoid confusion and duplication, simplifies training and supervision, and allows a better vision across the entire value chain that is increasing a global,” comments the guide’s editor Nigel Wells.

“This is a truly cross industry project bringing together over 30 organizations from every part of the supply chain and from different printing processes and paper users. These associations and companies have contributed their expertise and more than 50 publications that the guide has drawn content from.”

This outstanding collaborative project has been made possible by the participation of over 30 industry associations and companies including: ABP, Axel Springer, Bolzano-Auramo, Cascade, Dalim, Earthpac Oy, ERA, FMS, Goss, Holmen, Kasturi & Sons (The Hindu), icmPrint, Idealliance, IF P&C, Intakt, Koenig & Bauer, Malayala Manorama, Mondi, NOPA, Paperdam, Sappi, SCA, Sonoco-Alcore, SpanSet, Stora Enso, tesa, ‘The Hindu’, ‘Times of India’, TRANSWAGGON, UPM, WAN-IFRA.

Source: Optimized Paper Handling & Logistics

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with In-plant Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of In-plant Impressions.